


glass heart, (stone mind)

by stonerkun420



Series: rainbow’s wave [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Tragedy, Crying, Heartbreak, M/M, Magic Mirrors, Manipulative Relationship, Minor Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Qian Kun, Mirror Universe, Psychological Horror, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Unhealthy Relationships, based off TenWin’s dance cover of Lovely, okay here we go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-12 05:01:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18439562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stonerkun420/pseuds/stonerkun420
Summary: Sicheng had always liked pretty things. The pretty things never fail to rope Sicheng in.It’s just too bad he couldn’t see past how pretty Ten was, not until it was too late.





	glass heart, (stone mind)

**Author's Note:**

> this is the longest thing i’ve written in a LONG time and i am so incredibly proud of myself lol
> 
> most of you who know me know i love to delve into this side of stories so 😛 here we are hehe lets jump into some trigger warnings shall we
> 
> TW // minor blood, hysteric breakdowns, manipulative/unhealthy relationships, swearing, horror-esque themes
> 
> remember this is just a story lol i based this off TenWin’s cover of Lovely by Billie Eilish & Khalid !!

Sicheng had always liked pretty things. Whether they were something he could wear around his neck, maybe things in the street used to attract tourists. The pretty things never fail to rope Sicheng in.

This is what he tells Kun on the day he finally gets around to lugging that giant mirror from storage into his new apartment.

“I still don’t get it,” Kun huffs, wiping the sweat off his brow when the pair stops to catch a breather. “You couldn’t have asked the delivery guy to drag this thing in on the day?”

Sicheng shrugs. “I wouldn’t wanna pay extra, Gē. Plus, I didn’t order online, it came from this antique place a couple blocks away.”

Kun gives him a blank stare, taking one last deep breath before he picks up his side of the mirror again, ignoring the cheeky smile Sicheng sends him.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. You and your pretty things always win.”

 

 

 

 

 

Once Kun leaves after a very healthy dinner, ate on the floor of his living room area (consisting of takeout they’d bought on a deal from the restaurant down the road, alongside some lukewarm beer), Sicheng decides to finally retire to his room for the night.

Humming a song he had heard earlier in the car to himself, he smiles when he sees his reflection in the mirror. It’s placed neatly in his room, leant against the wall and gleaming softly with the light reflecting from the moon outside. 

Sicheng steps closer to the mirror for a moment, admiring the frame & it’s many golden details. In the corner of his eye, he sees something in the window behind him move from his view in the reflection. He gasps, and turns around quick enough to make his head hurt.

There was someone there, in the window. Which is kind of impossible, considering he lives on the 6th floor of his building. 

“Okay,” Sicheng breathes, turning back to the mirror for one last glance before moving to his bed, squeezing his eyes shut to quell the headache he’d brought onto himself. “ _Cool_.”

He keeps it silent from there, tucking himself underneath his blankets and keeping his eyes shut until he falls asleep while trying his hardest to ignore the anxiety deep in his chest.

 

 

 

 

 

“Christ, it’s so fuckin’ dusty up here.” Sicheng coughs into his elbow, eyebrows furrowed as he looks at the surface he’s supposed to be cleaning. 

He’s up in his closet, on a chair and trying to dust the tops of the shelves so he could finally start to put his clothes inside, you know ; start to feel like a real functioning member of society, rather than living out of his still-packed cardboard boxes filling his quiet apartment.

Still, he finishes dusting, moving in and out of his closet as he goes around, trying his hardest not to have some kind of asthma attack thanks to the dust flying around in there.

It comes time to start moving his clothes into the closet, and Sicheng steps down from his chair to walk out, only to find the door closed.

“Nice, could’a suffocated in here, but whatever.” Sicheng huffs, chuckling to himself. He reaches for the doorknob, and twists.

 

It won’t budge.

 

Sicheng furrows his eyebrows, trying again with the doorknob. He twists, pulls, pushes, but to no avail. The door just isn’t fucking moving, and Sicheng begins to panic.

“Hey—No, no, no,” he mutters shakily, both hands on the knob as he continues to try. “Why is this happening, oh my god.”

Sicheng takes a deep breath, finding it difficult with how tight his chest feels right now. He’d never admit it after this moment, but the way his eyes fill with tears scares him the most out of anything.

“I can’t believe I’m about to—die in a fucking— _closet_!” Sicheng yells in between grunts, trying to use his body to bust the door open like he saw in those movies he used to watch with Kun. 

Someone, clearly, finds Sicheng’s increasing panic attack super hilarious. He hears a burst of laughter from somewhere inside the enclosed space, and it makes him jump, scared enough to back up against the door with a thud. 

There’s no chance he hasn’t bruised his back at this point, not with the way he slammed up against the doorknob like that. He cries out at the pain, missing the way the doorknob turns from underneath him, opening the door as if it had never been locked in the first place.

Sicheng falls to the ground in shock once the door gives way from behind him, and he scrambles away as far from the closet as possible. Ignoring the way his fall winded him for the moment, he pulls his phone from his pocket, dialling Kun’s number with shaky hands. 

Kun picks up almost immediately, finding it strange for Sicheng to call him instead of text. Sicheng can’t really breathe, he’s wheezing and struggling for air with how tight his chest his.

“Gē,” he croaks through his sobs, shaky hands coming up to wipe his own tears away. “Can you—Can you meet me?”

“ _Sicheng, what’s happening? Do I have to come get you?_ ” Kun’s voice is kind of frantic on the other end, and Sicheng swallows the guilt that rises within him.

“No! No—I mean, it’s okay. Just meet me? Please? At the café we went to last week,” Sicheng takes a rasping breath, eyeing the closet door. “Please.” He whispers.

“ _Okay, Sicheng. I’m on my way right now,_ ” Sicheng nods, forgetting Kun can’t see him. “ _See you soon._ ”

 

 

 

 

 

“Sicheng? Oh my god,” Kun exhales in relief when he sees Sicheng leaning on one of the walls outside the café, bringing him in for a tight hug. Sicheng nearly breaks down again, right then and there as he holds Kun tighter, closer than he ever usually would have. 

Kun tries to pull away, to look Sicheng in the eyes, but the younger just holds him even tighter, trembling a little. The elder of the two has no choice but to force himself away, grabbing Sicheng firmly by the shoulders & looking him directly in his bloodshot, glassy eyes.

“Talk to me, Sicheng. What happened?”

The pair take a seat, and Sicheng clasps his shaking hands together as he stammers, trying to find words to explain what had just happened. To be honest? He didn’t have a single clue how.

“I don’t know,” he mumbles, pathetic. Kun gives him a questioning look.

“You don’t know?”

“I mean—I _do_ , it’s just—it happened really quickly, I panicked.” Sicheng scrambles to explain himself, already feeling sorry for bothering Kun like this. “I was trying to pack my closet, like I told you I would this morning? And—um, I tried to get out.”

Sicheng looks up from where he had subconsciously trained his gaze on his pale hands, his sweater covering the edges of his reflective watch. He meets Kun’s concerned eyes and his breath hitches.

“The door locked, or something. I panicked, Gē! It was like there was something in there with me—I was so scared, I just remember trying so hard to unlock the door, but it just wouldn’t go—I’m sorry,”

“You’re sorry?” Kun asks. Sicheng nods. “For what?”

“I should’ve been more careful right? I locked myself in a closet, gē. I’m stupid—I wasted your time,” Sicheng speaks so quickly, Kun can barely understand what he’s saying. “It’s dumb.”

“It’s not dumb, Sicheng. Look,” Kun sighs, reaching a hand forward to place on top of Sicheng’s own clammy hands. “You’ve just moved into a new place, and you’re on your own. It’s always scary, it’s just different for everyone, okay?”

Sicheng nods, not really trusting his voice. He looks down at Kun’s hand, staring at the glass of his pretty watch, feeling like it’s staring back.

“Hey,” Kun calls, softly. Sicheng looks back up. “You’ll be okay, yeah? I’m only a call away, don’t be afraid to call me if you need my help. I promise it doesn’t bother me, got it?”

Kun smiles when Sicheng nods at him meekly, giving his clasped hands a soft pat before he stands. “You want something sweet to drink? It’s on me,”

 

 

 

 

 

Sicheng spends the next week or so ignoring the way his stomach bubbles with anxiety everytime something seems to move in the corner of his eye when he walks past a mirror, the way his throat dries up when he has to put something in between the doorframe of the closet whenever he goes inside.

It’s fine, though, because Sicheng has learnt he doesn’t feel so afraid when he has someone over, to keep him company (and to keep whatever is inside, away from Sicheng).

 

 

 

 

 

“ _Yukhei_ ,” Sicheng gasps when Yukhei lifts the older of the pair onto his lap, kissing the dip in between his collarbones gently. “Can we at least move this to my room?” He questions when Yukhei continues to leave small kisses along Sicheng’s neck, sinking further into where he’s sat on the new sofa in Sicheng’s living room.

“Nah,” Yukhei grins up at Sicheng, cheeky & mischievous. “I think we’re good here, don’t you think so?” He laughs, and Sicheng just rolls his eyes, wrapping his arms around Yukhei’s neck, playing with his hair gently.

Sicheng thinks about his closet, and tries to hold back the discomfort he knew would show on his face at any other given time. “Maybe you’re right, hm? Let’s stay here,” Yukhei leans up and takes Sicheng’s lips in his swiftly, grinning into the kiss when he hears the sound Sicheng makes in the back of his throat.

 

(In their desperation, the pair miss the way their reflection in the living room window dulls, along with the feeling of someone watching disappearing completely.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yukhei tends to come around more often after that, and Sicheng finds himself looking forward to the visits from the younger boy. 

Sometimes, on a good day, Yukhei will bring home food and stay the night with Sicheng, kissing him sweet and pliant until the sun comes back up the next day. It’s a happy little arrangement, and they both seem to cherish it.

Sicheng isn’t quite sure when he started to fall for Yukhei, but he sure recognises how much it broke his heart when Yukhei eventually stopped coming over, saying something about the apartment being weird, making him feel like something’s not quite right all the time.

The younger of the two starts his departure by stopping the regular visits, trying to compromise by letting Sicheng come over to his apartment. It works for a while, at least.

 

(Sicheng squeaks in surprise when Yukhei presses him into his bed, leaning over him with that pretty smile that caught Sicheng’s eye in the first place. 

“Yukhei, I—“ He had whispered when the younger held his hand softly, pressing a heated kiss into Sicheng’s unprepared lips. It goes on like this for a few minutes, until the door opens.

The pair separates, looking up to see Yukhei’s roommate standing there awkwardly. He closes the door after a moment of silence. It goes quiet between the two after that, until Yukhei sighs and flops down beside Sicheng.

“Nevermind,” he’d say. “We won’t do this again.”)

 

Yukhei stops texting Sicheng after this. Not abruptly, at least, no. It starts with shorter messages, a lack of emojis where there used to be an abundance of the cute little faces with every message.

Sicheng thinks this might be his first heartbreak, he isn’t really sure at first, though.

 

 

 

 

 

Sicheng thinks he’s sure of his heartbreak as soon as he stops bringing himself to get out of bed in the mornings, instead choosing to stare at his early morning awoken self in his big mirror, frowning at the bags under his eyes and dried tear tracks down his cheeks.

He looks pathetic, and thinks maybe its okay, for a while. Maybe he should call Kun, tell him what happened, what’s happening.

Sicheng pats around his bed for his phone, which he’d dropped last night after another silent crying fit, having seen the pictures he’d taken with Yukhei deleted from the other man’s instagram profile.

“Kun-gē,” He croaks into the speaker, and he feels a sense of deja vu. “I’m heartbroken, please come over.” Sicheng chuckles, and he can already hear Kun’s keys jingling as he exits his house.

Maybe ten, even eight minutes later, Kun arrives at Sicheng’s apartment, using his copy of the keys to let himself in. He walks into Sicheng’s room a moment later, sweating and out of breath.

“Did you run here?” Is the first thing Sicheng asks, trying to grin up at Kun. The elder just nods and collapses on top of Sicheng, wrapping him in a hug when he sees the tear tracks and puffy eyes.

“Yukhei did this?” He asks, using his thumbs to wipe Sicheng’s eyes when he sees the way they start to well up. Sicheng nods, and his bottom lip starts to tremble a little.

Kun sighs, and cradles Sicheng’s head once he gets himself comfortable beside the boy, pressing a comforting kiss to the top of his head. “I’ll kill him, if you want.” Kun offers.

Sicheng laughs softly, shaking his head. “Nah, this apartment would’ve done that if he’d stuck around any longer. Don’t worry, gē. Just stay with me, please?”

If Kun sees the way the mirror across the room glints without any light hitting it, he doesn’t mention it.

“Of course, Sichengie. As long as you need.”

 

 

 

 

 

It happens in the middle of the night.

 

Sicheng wakes up with a start, ignoring how cold the other side of his bed feels without Kun there. Without Yukhei. 

He sits up, drenched in sweat, covered in goosebumps from head to toe, and shivering like he’s been out in the snow all night. It kind of feels like this is the start of a three-day-long fever, and he dreads the way he’ll feel by the time daylight comes around.

Sicheng stands and pulls his shirt away from his body, grimacing at how icky he feels right now. He takes position in front of his mirror, drawn to it in some kind of way. He cocks his head.

 

His reflection doesn’t follow.

 

His eyes widen, and his hand slaps over his mouth in shock when his reflection warps into someone else entirely. The man in front of him is short, with a mischievous smile.

Sicheng screams, and the man in the mirror screams back. _He’s mocking me_ , Sicheng has half a mind to think before he draws his fist back in fright, ready to smash it down onto the glass.

 

Time slows down from there.

 

As Sicheng brings his fist back toward the glass, fully prepared for the sting of glass cutting into his knuckles, the man in his mirror disappears, and Sicheng can suddenly see himself again.

The man appears beside him for a fragment of a moment, to halt his arm in its stead and place it back down before he disappears back into the mirror again, where he stands in shock. The man’s eyes are sorry, filled with concern, fear. Sicheng wants to apologise. 

“You nearly killed me,” He whispers, and Sicheng can’t breathe. He’s so, _so_ scared. “You were going to smash _my_ mirror, Sicheng.” 

The taller of the two chokes on a breath, stammering as he watches the man in the mirror wait patiently for him to speak. “I, I don’t—what,”

“It’s okay, Sicheng. I should probably explain myself, right? Make your troubles worthwhile, if you’ll let me.” The man in the mirror grins, and _oh_ , he’s pretty.

“I’m crazy,” Sicheng whispers, gripping the bottom of his shirt so tight that his knuckles turn white. “I’m insane, oh my god. What—“

“You’re not—Sicheng, you’re not insane. I’m really here, it seems crazy, I know—but listen, okay?” Whatever, Sicheng just nods because he’s fucking terrified. He takes a seat in front of the mirror, unsure if his legs were stable enough to hold his weight with the way they were trembling.

“Okay,” he gulps.

“My name is Ten, right? I live here, in the mirror dimension. There’s a lot of us, we have a world just like yours—we’re just more... conscious of what we can do with it, understand?” Ten tries to explain, and Sicheng’s eyes glaze over.

“You’re haunting my apartment, Ten.”

“No—I’m not. I live in a mirror, a reflection. I can hop from reflection to reflection, that’s how I travel around your house sometimes. I watch, and I take care of you.” Ten smiles again, and Sicheng suddenly feels really, _really_  angry.

“You’ve been fucking with me for months! You watched me nearly die like— _multiple times_!” Sicheng whisper-yells, hoping his neighbours won’t come knocking on his door.

Ten winces, taking a breath. “Well, yeah—I was just messing with you. I don’t get to have much fun apart from seeing you. I live in a mirror, Sicheng.” 

“God, I hate that you know my name, holy shit.”

It’s quiet from there, and Sicheng kind of feels like crying. He’s so tired, so emotional. Sensitive. He just wants to sleep.

“You watched my heart get broken,” Sicheng whispers, and Ten nods sadly.

“I don’t watch all the time, you mustn’t worry. I won’t mess with you anymore, Sicheng. Let’s be friends, okay?” Ten smiles, full of hope.

Sicheng thinks he might throw up when Ten reaches a hand forward, and through the glass of the mirror, outstretched towards Sicheng. It’s shiny, reflective. Sicheng presses his palm against Ten’s gently, trying not to recoil at how cold he feels.

“Okay,” Sicheng whispers. “Friends.”

 

 

 

 

 

Ten asks Sicheng to sit in front of his mirror sometimes, just to talk. 

Sicheng likes the jokes his new friend makes, and he decides likes Ten after all, even despite the things he did to scare Sicheng all those weeks ago.

“Sicheng,” Ten says one day, when the both of them are sat at the mirror. He’s fiddling with his nails, nervous. “What do you think of Kun?”

“Of Kun?” Sicheng blinks, sitting up taller. Ten nods, giving Sicheng a meek smile. “I love him.”

“Love him?” Ten gasps, shocked. Sicheng can’t bring himself to wonder why.

Sicheng nods again, face puzzled. “Of course I do, he’s like my big brother—why do you ask?”

Ten softens at this, shoulders slumping in relief. He smiles pitifully, eyes sad. “You don’t love him like he loves you, I think.”

 

Sicheng’s blood runs cold, and his eyes widen. 

 

“What?”

“He’s in love with you, silly. I see it in his eyes every time he comes over. He holds you so close, Sicheng. You don’t feel the same though, do you?”

Sicheng shakes his head slowly. He feels horrible, guilt rising in his chest quickly. Oh, Kun must feel so horrible all the time, why has he stuck around this long?

“What do I do? Ten, I’m confused—“

“Shh, it’s okay,” Ten smiles, so prettily. He reaches his cold hand through the reflection for Sicheng to press his own against. “Don’t talk to Kun for a while, okay?”

“Why? Ten—“

“Sh, just let him be. He’ll get over you, and soon the both of you won’t feel so bad, hm?” Ten suggests, and Sicheng agrees immediately. It’s scary how little willpower he has against people these days, how quickly he trusts everyone.

Sicheng trusts Ten the most, though. He’s always right, so Sicheng will always listen.

 

 

 

 

 

“I have a present for you, Ten.” Sicheng calls into his empty apartment when he arrives home from work. “Are you here?”

“Coming!” Shouts Ten from somewhere in the apartment, appearing only a second later in the reflection of Sicheng’s shiny kettle. 

“Wanna see what I got, Ten?” Sicheng asks excitedly, somewhat like a child. Ten can’t help but melt, nodding helplessly. “Go to your mirror, I’ll meet you there.”

With a nod, Ten disappears from the kettle’s reflection, now standing in his mirror, waiting patiently for his Sicheng to walk in any second now. Sicheng enters, a shy smile on his face. 

“I found this today, I thought you might like it,” he whispers, pulling out a compact pocket mirror from his jean pocket, leaving one last look at the pretty details on it before stretching his hand out toward the mirror. “For you.”

“Why?” Ten whispers back as he pushes his hand through the mirror again, closing his fingers around the mirror carefully.  Ten watches Sicheng calculatingly, pondering for a moment. “Keep it, Sicheng.”

“Huh?” Sicheng looks up, startled. Ten cracks a smile and pushes the mirror back into Sicheng’s hand.

“Keep it with you at all times, that way I can leave the house with you,” Ten grins, and Sicheng is already entranced. “I’ll be with you no matter where you go, my Sicheng.”

 

 

 

 

 

Sicheng stops answering Kun’s calls, ignores his worried texts, listens to and then wordlessly deletes the frantic voicemails Kun leaves him.  He feels a little bad, maybe, but Ten says it’ll do more good than harm.

 

So. when Kun shows up to Sicheng’s place and finds that his keys somehow no longer fit the lock, he figures he’s done something wrong. He leaves immediately.

 

Ten watches this happen from the reflection of the door’s lock, grinning smugly when Kun sighs and walks away, happy to see him go. Sicheng comes home twenty minutes later, and greets Ten with a love-filled smile.

He’s got Sicheng to himself now, and Ten has no intentions of letting him go. Not when he’s got the boy right where he wants him.

 

 

 

 

 

“Why don’t you ever fully come out of the mirror, Ten?” Sicheng asks meekly one day, avoiding eye contact with the other man. Ten narrows his eyes at Sicheng for a moment, but smiles sweetly.

“What do you mean?”

Ten marvels at the way Sicheng hesitates before he speaks, not wanting to upset his friend. “You—I—sometimes, you poke your hand through the mirror, right?” Sicheng wiggles his hand in the air, as if to demonstrate, and Ten coos. 

“And that one time? Where you came out of the mirror and held me back from breaking yo—the mirror?”

 

Oh. That.

 

“I can’t keep it up for very long, sweet-thing. It’s hard, to manifest myself like that, it was all self defence the first time, I’m afraid.” Ten looks upset that Sicheng would even ask, so he tries to backpedal as quick as possible.

“I mean—I wasn’t asking you to do it, it’s fine that you can’t! I was really just curious, is all—“ Sicheng stumbles through his words, panic building in his chest all of a sudden.

“Sicheng, baby! It’s fine, why do you ask, though?” Ten smiles patiently, and Sicheng ignores the way his breath catches at the pet name.

“I don’t know,” Sicheng mumbles, shy all of a sudden. “I just thought maybe it’d be nice to—“ he cuts himself off, thinking it too forward to say at a time like this.

“Nice to _what_ , Sicheng?” Ten smirks, like he already knows what Sicheng was going to say. He just wants to hear it from him, doesn’t he?

“ _Ten_ ,” Sicheng whines, already embarrassed enough. Ten smiles, smugly, and gestures for Sicheng to continue. “I want to touch you. Like—more than holding hands, Ten, I want you to hold _me_ ,” 

Sicheng is so quiet, so soft. Ten can’t help but crack a devilishly handsome smile.

“Yeah? You wanna touch, huh?” Ten grins. Sicheng pouts, nodding like a child. “Come to this side, Sicheng. We can be together, I’ll hold you for as long as you’ll let me.”

Sicheng is so, so tempted. He wants to take Ten’s outstretched hand, wants to let himself be dragged into the mirror’s side.

 

He can’t. He shakes his head.

 

“I want to,” Sicheng breathes shakily, eyes welling up. “So bad, Ten. But I can’t, I have to stay here. I’m so sorry.”

Ten’s eyes narrow again, turning cold. He disappears, and Sicheng sobs to himself for hours that night, afraid of losing the only thing that matters to him anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

Ten begins to pester Sicheng on the daily, tried to guilt him into feeling bad for not crossing over to the other side. Sicheng feels awful, arguing with Ten feels like his entire life force is being stripped away.

“I have a job, Ten! I have Kun, and—“

“You _what_?” Ten spits, appearing in his mirror, rather than the little compact Sicheng had been talking to. The mirror shakes, and Sicheng fears waking his neighbours with the noise it makes when it rattles against the wall.

“Wh—What do you mean?”

“I thought you stopped talking to him, Sicheng. Did you lie to me?” Ten is so, _so_  angry, Sicheng can see it in his face, his eyes. The taller of the two takes a shuddering breath, already feeling the incoming tears.

“No, I—He’s my friend, Ten! He was there for me when no one else was,” Sicheng heaves, hands clammy & shaking. Ten clicks his tongue in disapproval, quirking his eyebrow as if he knows something that Sicheng doesn’t. “What? What is it, Ten?”

“Kun isn’t your friend, Sicheng. I thought you knew this,” Ten sighs, pouting a little. He seems sad, like he feels bad. Sicheng isn’t sure if he believes it anymore.

“What—I don’t—What do you mean?” Sicheng stammers, the tears falling freely now as he cries like a baby.

“Aw,” Ten tuts. “You cut him off Sicheng. You wanted me, and only me. You made your choice, Sicheng. Kun stopped caring the moment you left him for _nothing_.” 

Sicheng is sobbing now, clutching at his chest because it hurts so badly. He lost his best friend, and now the only person he can ever fall back on is Ten, his lovely Ten.

“No! No, you—you don’t know that,” Sicheng chokes, breathing erratic. Ten just stands there, cold, blank. “I’ll just—I can call him, he’ll reply. You’ll see, Ten.” Sicheng sniffles, pulling his phone from his pocket.

Before he can even turn on his homescreen, Ten appears in the reflection of the phone’s glass with a scowl. The glass cracks into pieces almost immediately, and Ten disappears back into his mirror.

Sicheng wails, crawling closer and closer to the mirror, resting his head against it as his body shudders with his cries. Ten coos patronisingly, reaching out to pet Sicheng’s head like a hurt animal, smiling down at him.

“It’s okay, Sicheng. You’ve got me forever now, hm? I’m here, darling.”

“I think—you should go, Ten,” Sicheng heaves. “Don’t come back for a few days, or I won’t be able to cope. Is—is that okay? Ten?”

Ten is gone, and Sicheng sighs in relief.

 

 

 

 

 

Ten doesn’t come back after that, not for a few days. The apartment is so quiet for a while, and Sicheng isn’t sure how he really feels about the silence. It used to be comforting. Now? It scares him, it’s threatening.

Ten decides to appear at the most inconvenient time, a smug smirk on his face.

 

Sicheng enters his apartment, sobbing, he can barely breathe and he feels like his legs are going to collapse from beneath him at any point. He stalks through the apartment, chest tight, ignoring the way Ten pops up in every reflective surface that Sicheng passes on his way to his room.

Ten’s arms are crossed, and he looks like an awful know-it-all. Sicheng glares at him, turning away to start packing a bag full of his clothes.

“You can’t run away forever, Sicheng,” Ten speaks with mirth, and it just makes Sicheng cry out, humiliated, chest racking with sobs. “This wouldn’t happen if you’d just cross over. I could hold you, Sicheng. Isn’t that what you want?”

“Shut up! Shut _up_ —“ Sicheng lashes out, facing the mirror. He’s panting, face red and eyes angry. He doesn’t remember a time where he was this mad, but right now, it’s all he can feel.

“Or what, Sicheng? You gonna break me? My mirror? You can’t do that,” Ten laughs, and Sicheng wipes at his tears angrily. “You love me, don’t you? You fell for someone you can’t have, not unless you cross over—“

“You’re selfish! You just want me there for yourself! I keep telling you—I _can’t_ go there, it’s not where I’m supposed to live—“ Sicheng screams, and his throat burns so badly.

Ten starts to yell back, and Sicheng feels like he’s underwater. Ten looks so angry. Sicheng’s guilt rises again, he made Ten mad. He can’t apologise though, because Ten made Sicheng cry. 

“Just go away!” Sicheng screams, fists balled at his sides. Ten continues to yell, mocking Sicheng, spitting lies at him.

 

It’s all the way up, and Sicheng finally breaks. He wails, his chest burns, his fist draws back and he punches the glass. Sicheng ignores the way his knuckles split at the first impact, because all he hears is the shatter.

 

It’s quiet, there’s no muffled sounds, no Ten yelling at him. Pure silence.

 

Sicheng clamps a hand over his mouth, to quieten down the sob that escapes him. He’s made a mistake, no, no, no. His knees crack painfully when they hit the ground, and he scrambles to pick up the fragments of glass off the ground.

Fingers bleeding, eyes glossing over, he heaves and mumbles to himself. Apologising, over and over until his voice cracks, and all he can do is cry over the pieces of glass.

“Ten,” He croaks, looking around at anything and everything in the room, hoping to see Ten just hiding there. “My Ten, I know you’re here, please stop hiding. I’m sorry—I’m so sorry, please, I—“ 

Sicheng sniffles when he realises Ten is really gone for good, when he can’t hear his laughter a moment after his apology.

“I love you—please come back.”

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

Sicheng saves up all of his paychecks that month, doesn’t spend it on food, or gas. He’s fixated on mending Ten, putting him back together again.

The mirror is repaired at the end of the month, and Sicheng carries it to his apartment. All on his own. He stands in front of it each night to gather courage, doesn’t bother calling for Ten, he knows he isn’t there. 

 

 

                            

 

 

 

It’s been two months since the mirror broke. Two months of crying himself to sleep, of sitting alone instead of chatting to his only friend left, who he loved more than anything.

Sicheng finally steps into the mirror, crosses over to the other side. He’s nothing but a reflection now. “Ten?” He calls, and it echoes back to him.

It’s dark in here, he can see himself reflected back at him every time he moves his gaze somewhere new. It’s cold, and broken. Smashed to pieces. He hates this. He did this.

 

He steps back to his new side of the mirror, and gasps at what he sees. 

Ten is standing in Sicheng’s room now, smiling prettily. It all makes perfect sense, Sicheng knew he had been hiding, waiting for the perfect moment to escape and hide.

“How,” is all Sicheng says, and Ten cocks his head. “Ten, how?”

“You’re so oblivious, aren’t you, doll? I was working so hard to make this work, to build up the strength so I could replace you in here.” Sicheng places a hand on the glass, and finds he can’t phase through on his own. He looks up at Ten in alarm, the other man just grins.

“But, here we are now,” Ten tucks his hand into his pocket, pulling out the compact mirror from all those months ago. “I knew from the start that you had an eye for the pretty things, it’s just too bad you could never see past them, hm?”

Everything starts to fall into place. The way Ten used to manipulate objects, the doorknob, the lock on his front door. It all makes sense, but its too late now.

Sicheng gasps, and he bangs his fists on the glass, crying out for Ten to let him go. Ten clicks his tongue, stepping closer. “You wanna hear a secret, sweet thing?”

He leans closer, closer, until he’s close enough for his lips to touch Sicheng’s, if not for the glass separating them. Sicheng takes a shuddering breath, still as entranced with Ten as ever. Ten reaches his hand into Sicheng’s side, taking his arm and pulling it through.

It burns, it hurts so badly to be forced to phase through like this. Sicheng cries out, but he doesn’t struggle anymore, there’s no point. Ten uses Sicheng’s hand to cradle his nape, and he presses his head into Sicheng’s shoulder, grinning wickedly at the sharp intake of breath that Sicheng takes.

 

 

He leans up, until his lips touch Sicheng’s earlobe, and he whispers, “You’re made of glass now, darling. All mine, forever and ever, a pretty little thing just for _me_ to admire.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> what a fucking ride that was so long oof if you made it to the end congrats i hope you’re okay i love you
> 
> my ig : sunndz  
> my twt : stonerkun420
> 
> remember guys !! if you or a friend is stuck in a manipulative or bad relationship you’re allowed to speak up about it, don’t shut yourself off :(( i’m just a bad writer but if u wanna shoot me a message fuckin go for it lol
> 
> comments + kudos are much appreciated !! love u


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